New York Democrats erase the term ‘mother’ from state law, replace it with ‘gestating parent’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A new New York bill is rewriting parental language in state law by swapping “mother” for “gestating parent” and “father” for “non-gestating parent."

The rewrite pushed by state Democrats replaces traditional family terms in custody, domestic, and education law with gender-neutral alternatives.

Under the legislation, “mother” becomes “gestating parent,” while “father” is recast as “non-gestating parent” or simply “parent.” Even legal terminology like “paternity” cases will now be known as “parentage” proceedings.

Meanwhile, a “putative father” (commonly used in cases involving an unconfirmed biological parent) is now labeled an “alleged parent” in official state records.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx) and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Westchester), was pushed through the Assembly in March and cleared the Senate this week. It now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.

Critics call it ‘woke culture run amok’

Opponents wasted no time unloading on the proposal.

“It’s woke culture run amok. It’s one-upmanship,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar, calling it “an example of how out of tune the New York legislature is” and “an unnecessary and wasteful use of time.”

He warned the measure could open the door to more legislative language overhauls, while pointing to more pressing frustrations in Albany, such as a state budget that was nearly two months late.

“Imagine people who are considering moving to New York seeing this and saying, ‘Do I need this silliness?’ This is a really weird group of elected officials. It comes out of left field,” he added.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman also jumped in.

“Democrats led by Kathy Hochul have continued their declaration of war on New York families by canceling the loving terms of Mom and Dad and replacing them with ‘gestating and non-gestating parent,’” Blakeman said. “The insanity ends when I’m Governor.”

Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-Nassau) said lawmakers should be focused elsewhere.

“At a time when New Yorkers are being crushed by utility bills, rising costs, and public safety concerns, Albany Democrats have decided one of their final priorities in the last days of session should be replacing mothers and fathers in state law,” she said, “That is not what families are asking for. I am a mother and proud to be called ‘mother.’"

“New Yorkers are proud to celebrate moms and dads, and they would rather we, as lawmakers, focus on the issues that actually matter,” she added.

Democrats defend the bill

Not everyone was thrilled, even inside the Democratic ranks. One lawmaker reportedly told the New York Post, “I have a word we can use for this, ‘unnecessary.’”

Still, supporters argue the update modernizes outdated legal language in a state where adoption, surrogacy, and same-sex parenting are increasingly common.

A memo attached to the bill says the change aligns state law with current standards in family courts, particularly in cases involving surrogacy and same-sex parents, including families with two mothers or two fathers.

Adoption attorney Leslie Silver-Hoffman backed that view. “You have adoptive parents who are of the same gender in New York. There are two male parents, two female parents," she said.

Sepulveda also defended the measure by saying, “The bill was needed to be consistent with current statute and case law.”

Gov. Hochul, who often refers to herself as New York’s “first mom governor," kept her distance.

“Well, I’m not familiar with what was introduced,” she said. “I’ll take a look at it. This has been my practice for five years.”